whoa! found object artist extraordinaire paula tipped me off to these supercool moth series of wall sculptures, made from repurposed objects by ohio artist michelle stitzlein. these pieces are cobbled together in the most pristine way from old piano keys, tin cans, license plates and bicycle tires, among other things.

I love tips, and once again my friends Burt and Nancy are coming through with them, thanks to their keen eye for high quality work, quirky and awesome style and grand sense of humor. I am totally benefiting from the fact that they share what they see when they sell their beautiful ceramics at art fairs around the country with me. When they were in Peoria last month they happened across the fun work of Anthony Pack. Anthony uses found objects, woodworking skills and his imagination to create this collection of wall pieces and sculpture that are filled to the brim with personality.

See more charming fun from Anthony and contact him on his Flickr stream.

i love these contemporary handmade pillows, blankets and cotton quilts from michigan artist martha bishop, aka the lazy gal. it’s obvious that she has a terrific sense of humor, and bonus: her felted wool pillows are made from recycled sweaters, with cardigan backs for ease of pillow insertion!

purchase these pieces on martha’s website, where you can see much, much more (and thanks for the great tip burt!).

this cloud series of handmade cut paper lampshades from chinese designer jordy fu is so delicate and pretty, isn’t it? jordy created them to add magic and intimacy to everyday lighting. i think she has achieved her goal.

the lamps, made of recycled paper, come flat packed and include an energy-efficient light bulb. purchase them and see more at jordy’s fun website.

i think these soft embroidered wool rings, made of repurposed sweaters by my very creative friend sandra (aka etsy seller bricolagelife), are awfully comfy looking and cute. actually i ought to know — i tried them on to see for myself! and it’s true!

so sweet.

they’re $16 each, and you can find them (and other fun things) at sandra’s etsy shop.

i am here on the hazy hot outer banks of north carolina in a rented beach house with friends this week, and i am going to do my best to see if i can find these recycled trash fish in the ocean. i probably won’t find them though, since they’re from the mind (and local dumpsters) of california artist rodney rodrigo mccoubrey.